


Hair

by Mangalover4321



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Anxiety, Basketball, Candy, Cooking, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crushes, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Food, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Multi, Other, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Physical Abuse, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scars, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2020-11-28 03:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20959367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangalover4321/pseuds/Mangalover4321
Summary: She didn't know making a simple comment on the giant of Yosen High's hair would lead her away from the dark and towards the light. She will journey to understand both herself and the infamous Murasakibara Atsushi from the simple connection of hair.





	1. Chapter One: The Girl

**Author's Note:**

> This is a revamp of a series I had been working since 2016 back on Fanfiction.net. I found out that I had a lot of errors and issues with the story after both rereading and receiving some comments about the storyline and grammar so I decided to revamp it in order to fix these problems. If you guys see any problems, let me know and I will try my best to fic it so the story will overall flow better! The story will be updated on a bi-weekly bias until it is caught up to the original storyline or moving in a different way than the original. More tags will be added as the story continues also! The rest of the Generation of Miracles will appear further on in the story but I added their tags since they will be mentioned and referenced too.

**Chapter One: The Girl**

* * *

She always stared at him for some reason that no one really knew why. Her gaze constantly on him and her hand tapped as against her desk as she observed him. He was known throughout the high school for his extremely tall structure, his obscure eating habits, and laziness when it came to anything. She wasn't known at all, just another figure in the crowd, and she would prefer to leave it that way. From her chestnut-brown hair cut just above her shoulders and curious and nervous dark eyes, she looked similar to most girls while her nose was more aquiline compared to the traditional Japanese girls' along with her seemingly large chest that brought some jealously from other girls but she hide it under layers of clothing. She wore the same girl's uniform outfit as every other girl in the high school but constantly wore long shelve shirts, something that confused many students as to why she would do so even when it was so hot on some days.

She looked away after noting that someone caught her staring at the legendary basketball player and she moved her gaze down to her notebook. She frowned at the sight of the list of chores and items she needed to get when she would head back home. She looked back to her own hair and saw a few strands of it longer than what she preferred and winced at realizing that, knowing she would cut when she would get back to her home.

It was a compulsion.

She sighed and turned her gaze to the board, seeing the list of with chores to do along with her own name up there next to his.

Although the task she given to do was a problem, she needed to go and get food from the market before the sale would end at the end of the day.

Her luck seemed to be on the down side today.

She glanced back to him and then to her list of food. She bit her lip in worry and decided to stand up, walk over to him. No one paid attention to her as glided past everyone and stood at the edge of his desk, noting he didn't even pay attention to her as he ate his Calbee seaweed flavored chips. His long lavender hair hid his vision of her, as it fell past his shoulders and she couldn't help but flinch at the length.

It was dangerous to have such long hair.

"I believe someone would like to talk with you, Atsushi." A senior classmate to the both of them spoke and she glanced at him before biting her lip.

His hair was too long also.

"Excuse me, Murasakibara-san," she began and waited for him to turn his head in her direction but his gaze remained on his chips. She felt her hand twitch as he remanded unnoticed by her and she struggled to continue to say something especially paying attention to the length of his hair.

IT WAS FAR TOO LONG.

She could feel the tugging against her scalp and she wanted to cry out but she just endured the pain, knowing if she made any say she would suffer more than she currently was.

"Your hair is far too long." She commented without any thought, her subconscious thinking out loud for her, and blinked at her sudden response before covering her hands over her mouth in surprise. She didn't mean to state that out loud and now getting his attention but in a way she didn't want. Her eyes were widen in surprise along with the two of them before he narrowed his eyes at this, anger clearly radiating from him.

"Eh? What did you just say?" He asked her with annoyance clearly noted and she gulped at this, trying not a shake at the tone of his voice.

"I…I wanted to know if we could the chores earlier…because, I have to get some…um, food and there's a sale at the market during the time of doing the chores…" She said in a form of a mumble, while ignoring his gaze and not noticing him slowly standing up to towering her height of 165 cm, "I don't have a lot of money…and the sale is great especially since I'm running out of food and money for the week…"

Suddenly a hand was placed on her head and she paled, turning nearly as white as a ghost, before looking up. His height of 208cm powered over her and his violet eyes glared down at her, anger clearly hinting in them. She could not control the shaking in her body as the hand on her head brought forth terrible an unwanted memories.

"What did you say?" He hissed again and she felt absolutely powerless against him, reminding her of times she would like to forget but continued to haunt to this very day. She began to tremble yet no tears began to build up in her eyes, fear completely overtook her.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly and loudly as tears flooded into her eyes, her heart rate skyrocketing. The giant blinked at sudden change and she continued to tremble, like a leaf ready to fall, and he scowled at this.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said, more quick and rushed since she wanted to leave the situation in the present and past, and suddenly the hand on her hand disappeared, causing her to stop talking. She blinked and looked to see the giant with a slightly confused expression like he did not expect someone to suddenly repeat 'I'm sorry', on his face while the other guy also stared at her in what she presumed was interest and pity.

Then she realized what she said, probably acting odd in front of so many people, and looked away, shame and sorrow closing in on her features.

"….I, I'll take my leave. Just…please, forget about this, Murasakibara—san." She muttered before dashing off from embarrassment and horror, admittedly realized she had both embarrassed herself and ruined the image of her being a 'normal girl' break apart from what should have been a simple discussion.

The giant turned towards the other man who stood up at the incident and the giant said, "Ne, Muro-chin, what was that about?"

The other young man frowned and looked at the door, where the girl left. He then glanced at the girls' desk and walked over to it, looking down and noted a list of items and things she needed to do in a neat order.

"She was to help you with chores today after class but it seems she had other priorities on her mind." He stated and the giant followed over, grabbing the paper and holding it up to his vision.

"Eh? This is long." He said and the young man, known as Muro-chin, nodded at this.

"Indeed, she must a very busy person from everything on the list probably more she did not record yet." He continued to say before sitting back in his seat and observed the giant as he read the list, "Are you going to perhaps apologize to her?"

The giant scowled and glared at him before saying, "Eh, why? She was the one who made a comment."

The other frowned at this before saying, "You scared her, Atsushi. You saw how she reacted to you, correct? She probably thought you might do to something to her, especially with her reaction when you grabbed her head. I believe it would help cool her nerves and maybe she accepts your apology, you can get something out of it."

Atsushi thought about it for a moment before placing the paper back down on her desk and got to his own, digging out some Umaibo before walking to the door. He still bore an annoyed look on his face as he dipped down to avoid hitting the door and walked in the direction where he hoped to find the girl.

* * *

  
She tried to control her heart beat and wild thoughts as she pulled out her cellphone and dialed up her brother's number. Her hands were trembling and she hated doing this to him but he was the only one to calm her down. She placed it to her ear and heard the dial tone pick up as she waited for him to answer, her patience waning as she needed to calm down. She took deep breaths and placed a hand to her chest, trying to stop her heart from racing more.

"Please pick up…please, Ken-chan." She mumbled and bite her lip harshly, almost drawing blood. After a few seconds, someone answered and asked, "Hello, who is this?"

It wasn't him.

Shock passed through her system, her trembling began to pick up once more before opening her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Hey, Koga-san, who is it?"

His voice in the background brought her out of it and she requested, "Please put Kenshin on. Tell him, it's Emi."

There was silence before a couple of noises were made to signal the phone was passed over to her brother.

"Onēsan, what's the matter?" He asked and she released a breath, swiping the sweat off her brow at the sound of her brother's voice, instant relief flowing through her body.  
"I…I just needed to talk with you. I…I had a small episode and just needed to talk." She responded before the sound of sneakers stopping and scratching the surface of the ground was heard.

"WHAT? Do you need me to go over?!" He shouted over the phone and she winced at this before sliding down from the wall, pulling her legs closer to her chest to help calm herself down.

"No, I'm fine. It was a small attack. It's nothing to worry about. I just need to talk with you." She stated to ease his tension and a small smile greeted her face at his worry, "It would take you four hours to get here anyway."

"I can get a plane ride if I need to! Just say the word and I'll be over in a hitch!" He continued to say while others in the back were curious as to what was happening.

"Kenshin-kun, is there a problem?!" A young woman shouted in the background and she giggled at him, knowing his concern probably confused everyone he was with.

"Are you positive you're alright, Emi? I don't mind going even if I have to skip practice." He continued to spout while other shouts of horror and cries not to do so were from the other line. She smiled at this and looked down the stairwell, noting the few people who passed by at the bottom but made no move towards her and was curious as to what she was doing.

"Ken-chan, you know, you're the best little brother in the world, right? I don't know what I would do without you." She said and it seemed like he was embarrassed at hearing this as he tried to say something in return but was tongue-tied.

"Onēsan! You know you're the best in the whole world! No one can compete with you! You're the best older sister anyone in the world could have! You're too kind for your own good!" He continued to shout while some people in the background laughed at him or said something about a 'sister complex'. From what she could tell, he tried to cover up the phone and shouted back at them, "Shut up!"

"Ken-chan, I'm gonna let you return to what you were doing. I still have one more class before I go off to work." She said and he sighed on the other line, clearly concerned that she had work she had to do.

"Don't push yourself. Remember, Onēsan, if you ever need any money, I can get a job too and work." He said and she began twirling her short hair around her finger tapping her fingers against her knees, nodding at this even though he couldn't see the action.

"Hai. I know but I should get promoted soon, so I should get some more money. Don't worry too much about it. Remember, Obasan has been the one who let you go to Seirin too. She gets concerned about you, especially since you joined the basketball club." She said and stood up, walking to the window and stared outside.

"I will. I'll talk to her tonight. Just take care of yourself and if you seriously need me to come to Akita, just tell me and I'll be over in a snap!" He said and she giggled again, the nervousness that was there a moment ago and disappeared to happiness at his comment.

"Alright. Send me a picture of the club too! I want to see who your teammates are. With all your talk about them, you view them highly. I want to see who are the people who are taking care of my dear little brother." She said and he chuckled at this.

"Ok! I will after practice!" He shouted before whispering, "I think coach is getting angry at me for talking so much. I hope she doesn't get to annoyed about this. I'm gonna go now. I'll talk to you later, Onēsan!"

"Alright. Talk to you later, Ken-chan." She said before removing the phone from her ear and ending the call. She released a breath she had held and snapped it shut. She then looked to the front of her and nearly lost all of her breath at the sight of the giant standing over her, his body clearly hovering over her

"H-hello, Murasakibara-san," She said and began trying to find a way out, her nervousness nearly taking over her as she did not guess that he would go after her, "Is there something you wanted?"

He blinked at her before holding something out to her and she blinked at the sight of the Chocolate Umaibo.

"Um…" She began before looking back up to him in confusion about why he was offering it to her, "Is this for me?"

He narrowed his eyes at this before a scowl took over his features again, shocking her.

"Yes…are you going to take it or not?" He replied before she looked back to it and gently grabbed it from his hand, staring at it. A smile graced her features and she glanced back up at the giant.

"Thank you, Murasakibara-san." She said and opened it, her eyes glittering at the food and he took note on how fast her emotions changed at his changed approach to her. Since she was constantly on a low budget, having candy like Umaibo was a treat. She blinked and realized there must have been a reason for him to give her food just like that.

"Was there something else you wanted, Murasakibara-san?" She asked and looked away, before pulling another Umaibo out for himself and opening it.

"Hai, Muro-chin told me I should apologize to you." He said and started eating his own, "I don't know why but he said I may get something out of it."

She blinked at this before tilting her head to the side, confused before she also took a bite out of the Umaibo.  
"Like what?" She asked and his gaze turned annoyed again, like she should have known.

"Food." He stated harshly and she frowned at this, glancing away as she thought of the low-budget she was on for this month for food.

"Well, Atsushi-san, I…really don't have the money right now. I'm certainty on a tight budget." She said as she took a bite out of the Umaibo and hoped he wouldn't be angry at her.

"…You work at a cafe, right?" He asked and she blinked at his sudden words, unsure how he knew this.  
"Hai…but how did you know that?" She replied and he finished the Umaibo swallowing it, before shrugging.

"It was on your papers." He stated and she blushed at that, not realizing that she left out her personal schedule in the open.

"Oh…what about me working the cafe?" She asked and he proceeded to pull out another Umaibo, this time Natto.

"Let me eat there for free." He said and she nearly choked on the treat at his words, blinking at his statement.

"Murasakibara-san, I can't do that! That would be wrong! I could get in a lot of trouble." She explained and he continued to frown at this before chomping on the Umaibo.

"Eh…you are the only one to serve me at the cafe." He said instead and at these words she blushed crimson, her thoughts were racing since she bet he didn't even know what the cafe was about.

"That…can be arranged. Are you positive about that?" She mumbled and he nodded before finishing the treat, licking his fingers.

"Hai." He simply said before he started heading down the stairs, walking away without another say. She stared at his broad back, reminding her of her cousin for a second since he too had an impressive height, and then said, "You're on the basketball club, right, Atsushi-san?"

He paused halfway down the steps and turned to face her again, saying, "Yes. Why?"

She smiled at this and starting towards the stairs too, her chocolate eyes dancing in joy.

"No reason." She said and he continued to watch her as she moved down the stairs and back to the classroom, leaving him confused and bewildered at who exactly this girl was.


	2. Grocery Store

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emi goes to the grocery store and meets...an interesting individual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for checking this story out and for the kudos also! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it!

**Chapter Two: Grocery Market**

* * *

Emi struggled to reach the eraser at the top of the board so she could clean it up and she softly pouted at this before looking behind her, noting the empty chairs that she could stand on. She swiftly turned to face Murasakibara, who was simply wiping the floor, and did notice her struggle but she refused to ask for his help to get to the top of the board.

"Do you mind fetching me that chair, Murasakibara-san? I can get the rest of the board and you can finish putting the rest of chairs up." She said and he blinked at this. He had thought she would ask him to do it for her because of his height yet she bluntly ignored it and wanted to do it herself. He nodded and grabbed it before handing it to her. She smiled at this and said, "Thank you."

He nodded before moving about the rows of desks and chairs and slowly put the chairs on the desks, observing her at the same time. She was quite different from any other girl he knew, which it only being his coach, Seirin's coach, Sa-chin, and his sister.

"Ne, Murasakibara-san, when do you plan on going to the café?" She asked as she continued to clean the board, standing on the chair and slipped away the last of the problems from the last lesson of the day. He blinked at her question and shrugged.

"Whenever I feel like it." He replied and she nodded at this, a small smile greeting her lips again, which did hint at nervousness but did understand that he was problems busy himself.

"Ok. How about I tell you when I am working and you can drop by then?" She suggested and he blinked at this before nodding while also mumbling something else.

"Hai, Emi-chin, where's your schedule?" He asked and she turned back to face him, confusion written on her face at the honorific he used for her name and that he had known only her first name.

"Eh, why did you add 'chin' to my name, Atsushi-san?" She asked and she jumped off the chair, picked it up and placed it on the desk that he took it from. He shrugged and continued to look at her desk, seeing the plenty of papers on her desk. She walked over to it and started shuffling through them before pulling it out from few papers, holding it out to the giant. He stared at it before noting one time he could go visit her since he had both practice to be schedule around and other things that his siblings wanted him to do and took a mental note of it.

"So, when do you plan on stopping by?" She asked as he handed her back the paper and gathered his own stuff.

"Thursday after practice." He said and pulled out a bag of chips to much on. She blinked at this before she gathered her stuff and place it in her own bag, knowing it was only two days away.

"Ok, I'll keep an eye out for you then." She said with a smile and he glanced down to his bag of chips before popping them continually in his mouth. She brushed back a small strong her hair behind her ear and put her papers in her bag, ready to head out.

"Thank you for helping me out, Murasakibara-san. I'll see you some time soon." She said and she headed out the door while he gave a small wave to her disappearances.

_She was certainly interesting._

* * *

She bolted towards the grocery market as soon as she was able to leave the giant's side so she could get the food she desperately needed for the following week. A look of determination was seen on her face as she struggled to get by people who also tried to get the discounted food. She was shoved yet again but stood tall and managed to get some food on sale, smiling at her accomplishments. She made her way to the register but out of nowhere a force caused her to fall.

Someone had shoved right past her with such force that caused her to fall over and spill the contents she had gotten. Shock glazed over her features before she swiftly started to pick up the food, hoping no one would step on her hand.

Suddenly a hand reached and grabbed the wakame that had fallen out of her basket. She opened her mouth to say something but it was instead returned to her and looked to see who had helped her. A man with long rich lilac hair pushed back from bandana stared down at her with curious dark violet eyes, while his impressive height had to be around two meters tall and muscles budged out from his shoulders down. He could be in his mid to late twenties and wore a baggy tank top that had stripes across it and baggy cargo like pants. He had squared down next to her and held out some of the food she dropped.

"I believe you dropped this, miss." He said in a deep gravelly voice and he blinked at this, his hair an instant key of reminder her of someone else.

"Murasakibara-san?" She questioned and he blinked at this, confusion writing over his features.

"Eh, you know me?" He said back and she grabbed the food from him, still confused at the whole situation.

"No, sorry!" She exclaimed in embarrassment and stood back up, as he did too, clearly overpowering her own height, "You reminded me of someone else."

"Ah, are you a student at Yosen?" The man said once noting her uniform and she gave a small nod at this as she slowly made her way to the Fruit section, "Well, my little brother goes there. We all get mistaken as each other all the time!"

She only stared at him from this comment, taking in the realization that Murasakibara has siblings and there most be more of them if they get mistaken as each.

"The name's Eiji Murasakibara. What about your's?" He questioned as she gulped, her gaze not looking at his own as she picked up a few figs.

_It would be rude to not tell him her own name._

She gulped and played with some strands of her hair, trying to ease herself into stating it.

"Emi De Campo." She answered and he stared at her for a second before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Interesting last name. You a Half?" He said and she winced at the term, not happy with being called something in such a manner.

"What business is that of yours?" She said back and regretted how harsh she sounded but she did not want any association with the derogatory term. He held his hands like he was surrendering at her tone while a loose chuckle escaped his lips.

"None. Sorry! I say stuff before my mind thinks it might be a bad idea to say." He said and followed her to the register, his hands also holding his wallet in them, "I'll pay for your stuff as an apology. Does that sound good?"

Her eyes grew wide at the mere mention of him offering to pay for her food and she opened her mouth to protest but they were already there and the worker was scanning her items.

"Don't worry about it, Emi-chan. I feel bad about what I said." He said, using her first name, as he glanced at the glass that contained the cigarettes in them. His violet eyes looked around before he flipped open his wallet and received cash to pay for her stuff, "Can I get two packs of Hope?"

The worker nodded as they grabbed the packs and scanned them also, informing him of the price of the items. Emi simply stood there, still confused but also surprised as why the man was being so nice to her, before she grabbed her two bags of groceries. He smiled at the worker and thanked them as they handed him the cigarettes, placing both in his pants.

"You did not need to that." She muttered and he waved his hand at this, very chill at how much that actually meant to her.

_She could use that money for something else._

"It's fine. I was rude to you and it wasn't that big of a deal. I'm sure it'll annoy Fumio but I don't care if it is made to up make to someone for being rude and inconsiderate." He said as they walked practically side by side with each other and he continued to glance at her, trying to figure her out, "…I'll head my own way if that's alright. I'm sure you have seen enough of me and my brother for one day."

She opened her mouth to protest but she could say anything to deny that truth as he began to track ahead of her, his steps going further than her own so she trailed behind him. He glanced at her before sighing and started walking backwards.

"Are you heading in this direction too, Emi-chan?" He said, referring to her first name which she preferred, and she simply looked ahead for a second before nodding.

"Hai, I live in an apartment complex not that far from here." She said and he raised an eyebrow at this.

"Hmm…I'll make a bet that we're neighbors!" He said in a childish glee and she looked at him strangely but did not deny that idea.

_She could be living right near _ _the giant of _ _Yosen_ _ without even bumping into him for the two years she had been there._

"Perhaps." She responded and he chuckled at this, putting his hands behind his head as he turned back to be facing forward, nearly dodging a trash can that he would have bumped into if he didn't move fast enough. The two continued down the same street, about three meters apart from each, and he took a turn, that she followed and he slowed down so they were now side by side.

"Are you close?" He asked and she looked ahead, knowing that the building in front of her was the one that she was staying at her. He laughed at the realization and a small smile did peak at the corners of her mouth from him being correct.

"I guess we are fellow neighbors, Emi-chan!" He said as they crossed into the complex. The dirty white complex stood out to the red and green houses and buildings nearby and had a two-story level, which she lived in.

"We are, Murasakibara-san." She said and he headed over to a door on the lower level, near the staircase but not directly underneath it. The door then opened up and the man smirked at the sight of his brother coming out of it with a bag of trash in his hand, annoyance clearly stated on his features, while also wearing a simple white t-shirt and baggy pants on.

"Ah, Atsushi!" The man called out and the giant of Yosen's attention looked over, slowly blinking at the sight of his brother and Emi. He gave a small frown of confusion as why she happened to at the complex before his brother said something else.

"Did you know that you have a fellow student as our neighbor?!" The man said and the giant blinked at this.

"No." He said and the brother chuckled at this, walking over to him.

"Well, now you do!" The brother said and glanced back at Emi, giving a small salute to her, "It was nice to meet you, Emi-chan! I hope my little brother doesn't cause you too many problems from now on!"

As he passed by Atsushi, he whispered something to him and entered the complex but Emi didn't take any notice of it as she was heading up the stairs with a small wave to announce her departure. But before anything else, she saw the door to her aunt's apartment complex open up and a scream escaped out of it, "GET OUT OF HERE, YOU LIAR!"

She sighed at it and waited for the person to be kicked out, which happened only after a few seconds a woman who bore tomboyish clothes, nothing really special about her, walked out with an angered expression on her face.

She quickly got out there and Emi saw her aunt poke her head out of the door. Her aunt shared similarities to herself as she also had brunette hair but much longer with it being pulled up in a messy bun and blue eyes looked to find her at the bottom of steps, staring up at the room. Her aunt bore a police officer's uniform yet it looked like she had hastily put it on. She barely looked the age she was, barely past her mid-twenties, and stood only a little taller than her, yet was nothing compared to Atsushi's height.

"Ah, Emi-chan, you're back!" She called and Atsushi had actually moved so he could get a glimpse at who was yelling. He glanced between Emi and her aunt before shrugging and dumping the trash into one of the many bins, walking back towards his complex. She thought for a second and decided to call out to him.

"Good night, Murasakibara-san!"

He stopped at this before looking at her again, eyes narrowed, before he gave a small wave of goodbye, responding to her action and she felt a small amount of joy pick at her heart at how a simple response really made her happy. He quickly shut the door behind him and Emi walked up the staircase and gave her aunt a sad smile at what had occurred just moments ago.

"I'm guessing Yuki-san won't be returning anytime soon." She said quietly and her aunt nodded, a click of her tongue as a response. They stood outside the door frame as her aunt lended against it, annoyance sparking in her eyes at the moment.

"Yeah, the bitch told me she was done pretending to be something she's not. She thinks being gay is like an illness, something that can be cleaned and removed. So, I decided to call it quits with her." She replied and Emi nodded in agreement, knowing her aunt's sexuality caused many people to be weary of her.

"Don't worry, Masami-san. You will surely find someone. I know it." She said to try and cheer her up. Her aunt gave her sad smile before nodding and glanced down at the bags of groceries in her hands. A glow of delight surrounded the woman and nearly squealed like a little girl, noting that it looked like she had gotten everything that they needed.

"You got them, Emi-chan! I'm so thankful to have a niece so cares so much!" She shouted and proceeded to hug her, causing Emi to break out in a large grin.

"Yes, I got on time for the bargain and got everything we needed." She said and then also stated, "I didn't pay for it. Someone from the complex did."

Her aunt blinked at this before her jaw nearly dropped to the ground and questioned, "And who would this person be?"

"Eiji Murasakibara, he lives almost below us with his brother. I'm not exactly sure why he did it." She explained before biting her lip and glanced away, not really having an answer as to his behavior.

_At least it was something nice compared to other situations she had been in._

"I won't worry about it." Her aunt said as she took the bags from her and Emi nodded at this, "Come on, it's time to make some dinner with this food that our gracious neighbor bought for us!"

She couldn't help but not keep the smile away from her face as she nodded in agreement and followed her aunt inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some form of reference, Eiji's hairstyle looks like Lavi's from D. Gray Man and Touji Ato's from Tokyo Ravens. I'm hoping to draw him out and actually post what I think he looks like sometime in the future!


	3. Chapter Three: Cafe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murasakibara decides to go visit Emi at her job after her watching a game between them and another team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. I struggled with rewriting this chapter and figuring out how I should end it. It is a little shorter than the previous chapters but I found out that it worked best this way. The following chapter should be longer and hopefully will not take as long to update but my job might interfere with the next update but I will try to get it done and be back on a bi-weekly schedule. Anyways, I hope you guy enjoys the chapter and thanks for the kudos!

**Hair**

**Chapter 3: Cafe**

* * *

Emi always tried to make it to Yosen's basketball games and no one quite understand why since she had not known anyone on the team and she didn't participate in any after school activities as she immediately went to work right after school. Most of the times when they had games, she had work so the one time they had a game and she didn't need to work until later, it was the day of Murasakibara going to see her at the cafe. She wasn't going to work until a little later and she was glad to see the entire game play through. She held a small smile on her face as they played against their opponents even if they swiped the floor under them with their large point difference.

After the final bell rang for the game to be over, she glanced at the score to see them defeat their opponents by over sixty pints, something quite impressive to others nut still humiliating to the losing team. She got up from the bench with her bag in hand and followed the others who came to see the game. As she walked down she noticed the other team held a look of defeat on their face and she frowned at this, knowing defeat was hard but surely they would get back up again since Yosen was one of the top high school basketball school's in Japan.

"Emi-san?"

She stopped at the sound of someone calling her out and saw Tatsuya wave at her from the floor. She headed over to the edge of the benches, not really sure how he knew of her name and what he wanted from, and complimented him and the team, "That was great game, Tatsuya-san."

He grinned at this , which would have most women swoon at but she remained still, and said back, "Thank you, Emi-san. The game was not much of a challenge but it was great to play."

"Basketball surely is great." She said with a smile that caused him to blink at her words as she seems to have gaze else words, "Anyways, would anyone mind if I went down to the floor? I have to talk to Murasakibara-san about something."

He nodded at this while also keeping note of what she said and she hurried down the stairs, passing by plenty of moving people. She moved to the floor with a rush and many people looked at her in confusion as no one knew who she was or why she could go down to the floor when no one else really could. She stepped onto the floor and clenched her bag tight in her hand, trying not to gain nervousness as she knew Murasakibara would be going to her work place soon.

"Emi-chin, you're here."

From the sudden voice of Murasakibara, Emi noticed that the giant of Yosen had looked over at her, small amounts of sweat glistening on his body. His hair was left alone and his eyes stared at her, not in an angry way but something intrigue and confusion.

"Hai, good evening, Murasakibara-san." She said and he blinked before scratching the back of his head at her appearance at the game, "Congratulations on the win."

He gave a small nod at this as a thanks for her compliment and she folded her arms behind her body, glancing away before Murasakibara noticed the tension between herself and Tatsuya.

"We can talk somewhere else quick, Emi-chin." He said and she blinked at this before nodding at this as he started walking away without saying anything to Tatsuya to clear the air. She glanced at him before following the giant who moved to the edge of the court, in the corner and away from others but some players were whispering and staring at them.

"What did you need to say, Emi-chin?" He asked, bring her attention back to him, and she bit her lip a little.

"I wanted to let you know that you can visit today to have me as your server, Murasakibara-san." She spoke softly and he blinked at this before remembering he did plan on going to see her and having her be his server. He nodded at this while the players continued to look at them with interest.

"When will you be there?" He asked her and she blinked at this before glancing over at the clock right above the doorframe to one of the many doors of the gymnasium.

"Once I am done talking with you, Murasakibara-san, I'll be heading over to the cafe and I'll be there until closing, which is at 6 o'clock today." She replied and he nodded at this before looking at the clock itself which was nearing 3 o'clock, "Do you need directions to get there, Murasakibara-san?"

He looked at her questioningly and shrugged, replying back, "I can find it myself."

Although he told her that, she had already opened her bag and dug out a pen and small piece of paper, scrubbing down directions for him anyways. A hint of a smile perched on her lips and she finished her directions before offering the paper to him, which he only stared at.

"Just in cause. I would hate for you to get lost in order for you to see me, Murasakibara-san." She said and zipped her bag back up. A small blush had actually made it to his cheeks at how nice she was, even offering him directions, normally others would back off if he said he could do something yet she refuted that. He hesitantly grabbed the paper which directions were written out onto and looked at it, realizing that he had not known where he was going if he didn't get those directions from her.

"Thank you, Emi-chin." He said and noticed that she had looked happy at his gratitude.

"No problem, Murasakibara-san." She said and folded her hands in front fo her, noting that the time had come for her to go and head out so she could start her shift, "I am going to head out now. I'll see you soon."

She left through the door near them but right before the door closed, she offered him a small of wave goodbye. He was left standing there with a small blush across his face before his teammates called for him to regroup and his thoughts returned to their normal state of mind besides the small notice that his heart seemed to be beating a little bit faster.

* * *

She hastily threw on her uniform and attempted to fix her hair in the mirror while also adjusting the headband she was given for the day, since it happened to be Headband day. She brushed off the black skirt and tried to keep herself calm since Atsushi was coming to visit, hoping it would not affect her performance as no one knew about her job besides her aunt. She attempted to pull at the white low cut part of her long shelved shirt up a little but having washed it so many times, it started to shrink and begin to hug her body a little tighter than what she preferred.

She looked at the time before adjusting the headband again and brought up the best smile she could muster before heading out to the Salon. She passed by many fellow co-workers as they returned her smile and she stood at the entrance of cafe, waiting for the door bell to ring and open up as she was greeter until she would get a customer. She started to arrange the menus in order and looked down to the seating chart in order to see what spots were opened up.

At the sound of the bell, she looked with a large smile and said, "Welcome, master!"

With no sound made from the new customer, Emi blinked before registering that the infamous giant of Yosen stood at the entrance with his gym bag in hand, looking at her with a small amount of curiosity in them.

"Ah, hi, Emi-chin." He said and a couple of the other maids giggled or flashed smiles at her for him already knowing her name. She ignored the others as she grabbed one menu and he continued to stare at her while she was not sure what his thoughts were on her.

"Would you like to sit down somewhere. Master?" She questioned and he glanced around at the cafe, noting that many of the customers were men in a variety of ages.

"…Sure." He mumbled and she nodded as she started walking to a small table, passing by a few onlookers. She placed the menu down on the table and he dropped his gym bag in the opposing chair which made a loud noise.

"Here you go, Murasakibara-sama. Let me know if you need anything." She said and he sat down in the chair, catching more glances at him. He nodded as he picked up the menu and noted that there was a lot of different options for desserts, which made him glad that he decided to go visit.

"I do recommend the **Pignolata. **I really enjoy it." She stated and he looked confused at what food she was mentioning before she moved over to him, leaning over his shoulder and some of her body pressed up against his. Her finger pointed out the item she mentioned and he noticed that it was a soft pastry covered in chocolate and lemon-favored icing. He licked his lips at the mere description of the desserts and nodded while she pulled away from him.

"I want that and Sakuramochi, Emi-chin." He spoke up and she nodded at this, folding her arms in front of her.

"Would you like anything to drink, Master?" She asked and he thought about it for a second before responding back.

"Some water." He answered and she again nodded as she quickly went off to gather everything he wanted. Atsushi glanced around the establishment as many other maids talked with other customers, all wearing slightly different outfits but all having a headband in their hair. Emi returned back from the other side of the cafe with his water in hand while also carrying one of the dishes he ordered. She hands seemed to slightly shake as she carried them but she did put down his food and drink in front of him, properly.

"I'll be right back with the rest of your food, Murasakibara-sama." She stated and he only stared at the plate of Sakuramochi in front of him. She let a smile slip at his expression, clearly amused at how happy he seemed and made her way back to gather the **Pignolata**. She past by a few other maids who looked at her with grins on their faces since she was never a big fan of interacting with the customers.

_She felt happy to actually be at her job today._

She took a plate out and opened up the display case full of the desserts, where the **Pignolata **laid and showcased itself to the customers. Its sugary coating instantly caught her eye as she took a slice of it and put it on the plate, along with a small fork. She headed back to the giant and once she arrived back at his table, she put it down. He stopped munching on the Sakuramocchi once seeing the sight of the **Pignolata** and his eyes boggled at the new interesting dessert in front of him.

"I hope you enjoy the **Pignolata, **Murasakibara-sama." She said and his gaze moved back up to her, staring at her intently for s second.

"…Thank you, Emi-chin." He said softly and she blinked at this before nodding in response and was starting to move away so she could perhaps help out around the cafe yet her gaze seemed to keep going back to Murasakibara. She cleaned up some of the drying dishes and placed them back in a cabinet until she heard the familiar ring of the phone for the cafe. Other maids seemed to be busy so she reached over and tucked it between her neck and ear as she continued to clean.

"Hello, this is Maid Cafe. You're to Emi-chan. What can I help you with?" She said in a cheered voice until the person responded to her.

"Ah, it's you, Emi!" The voice of her aunt spoke and she blinked at this.

"Masami-san? Is something wrong?" She asked in a softer tone as her gaze focused on her hands that gripped the dish towel tightly in her hand.

"It's nothing serious, Emi. I just wanted to let you know that the station is holding me for another two hours so I won't be at the apartment until nine so you'll have to make dinner yourself. I'm sorry about this, Emi."

Emi sighed at this, sad yet she unfortunately knew that the police station did occasionally hold her back, and pushed the phone closer to her ear.

"That's fine, Masami-san. It happens but I am glad that you did let me know. I'll figure out dinner tonight so please don't worry on that behalf. I'll have to get going." She said and her aunt sighed also on the other line, clearly unhappy about it herself.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Emi. I'll see you tonight." Her aunt said and hung up the phone as she did herself, before leaning down on the side of the showcase. She closed her eyes for a second as she felt a wave of anxiety slowly rush over her body and she tried her best to think of things that could help calm her down, like the thoughts of her brother smiling while they were together.

"Emi-chin."

She blinked as she broke out of the small anxiety attack starting to form as Murasakibara's voice broke through and she looked over to him, as he sat there in silence staring at her. She placed the dish towel down and made her other to him, forcing a smile onto her face as she stood next to his table.

"Is something the matter, Master?" She questioned and he glanced down at the empty plate of Sakuramochi.

"Why did you say something about my hair?" He asked her bluntly and she looked at him with slightly large eyes before releasing a breath and glanced away in slight shame and nervousness.

"…Perhaps we could talk about that sometime else." She suggested and he blinked at this before shrugging, not really caring but still curious about her comment.

"That's fine, Emi-chin." He said and took another bite of the **Pignolta**, clearly enjoying the sugary dessert, "Thanks for suggesting this dessert too."

She did expect him to say that as her anxiety was cleared and a small blush actually took over her face, very surprised that he said that. She actually let a real smile slide onto her lips at this comment and she did brush back a small strand of her own hair.

"No problem, Murasakibara-sama. I figured you would enjoy it since you seem to really like desserts." She replied back and he nodded at this, looking at her slightly strangely.

_She reminded him of someone that he had on the tip of his tongue but her features seemed to conceal that identity._

"Ah, Emi-chin, could you tell me more about yourself?" He inquired and she looked back over to him, trying to conceal her concern but lost her smile now. She glanced over to the other maids who made no movement or comment about her now deciding to pull out the chair next to him, sitting down. He simply stared at her as she took on a slightly grim expression before she looked intensely at him.

"I will but I do want to know more about yourself, Murasakibara-sama." She said and he looked at her again, now realizing who she reminded him of.

_TEPPEI KIYOSHI._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pignolata (Sicilian: Pignulata) is a Sicilian pastry, which originated in Messina and is also common in Calabria. It is a soft pastry, covered in chocolate and lemon-flavoured syrup/icing. This pastry is half covered or iced in one flavouring and the other half in the other flavour, which hardens when the pignolata is ready to be served. Each pastry serves several people, and is meant to be cut into small pieces when served.


	4. Relatives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emi reveals some information then gets to meet the rest of the Mursakibara family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wicked late update! Writer's block can be an absolute bitch especially since I changed this entire chapter up compared to the original! Anyways, thank you guys for staying interested in this tory and I am hoping to get the next chapter done soon! Enjoy!

**Chapter Four: Relatives**

* * *

Murasakibara simply stared at the girl once that thought crossed his mind, not realizing that she had characteristics that reminded him of one of his rivals. Her bushy like eyebrows were one obvious trait along with her dark eyes but they stood out more than the Uncrowned King. Another trait happened to her personality, where she was kind to other people, and her dark brown hair that hinted at some tints of orange within it if the light hit it just right.

He scowled at this notion and clenched his hand under the table and her gaze drifted downwards, as her expression turned sad.

"Did I do something to offend you, Murasakibara-san?" She asked in a whisper and he looked away to the other tables that had people smiling away at them. She fidgeted in the seat as she awaited an answer by biting her lip and clenching her fists tightly, trying to keep herself leveled on the current situation.

_She was fine. She was at her job and she did enjoy her job. _

"…No." He said and she blinked at this, looking back up to him. She released a breath and he continued to look away from her, arms crossed against his chest as his gaze now returned to her.

"Are you related to Teppei Kiyoshi?" He questioned her and she looked a little choked up at the mention while she brushed back some strands of her hair but looked at him with some confusion across her features.

"Did you not know?" She responded back with some shock that he did not know while his eyes grew wide about the fact, slightly confused about what he should know.

"Know what?" He hissed and she inched closer on her chair while her arms fell onto the table, her head tilting sideways in an innocent fashion.

"My last name was Kiyoshi until a while ago. I thought that you had known about that." She stated and Murasakibara began to think back to the beginning of the school year but he never cared for anything that was not important to him, so he could have simply ignored that information.

"So, you're related to him then?" He asked again in order to ignore her question so she would not think less of him. She remained silent for a moment before nodding and rubbed her hands along her arms, trying to break out of the harsh thoughts that now plagued her mind.

"Yes," Her response was short and licked her chapped lips, "We are cousins."

"You look like him." He bluntly stated and once she heard those words, her thoughts changed to relief and happiness. Her expression glowed with a smile at this and her eyes twinkled more in enthusiasm, her body actions turning to a loose and relaxed feature.

"You think so?" She said and he observed with curiosity, slightly confused at her actions but didn't do more figging into the situation.

"You kinda look like him." He spoke and her legs bounced at this as a smile graced her features. Her eyes softened at his words and the pressure that seemed to be weighed on shoulder drifted off.

_She was pleased with the comment even though he did not aim for it to sound like that. _

"Good." She muttered under her breath in relief and he frowned at the comment, slightly curious as to why she happy to hear that but he did not know much about girls and let it go.

"Is your last name different from his?" He questioned once he remembered that had mentioned that her last wasn't Kiyoshi. She nodded at this and she picked at her the skin near her nails at the mention of her last name.

"Yes…It's De Campo." She responded and he looked at her with a blank expression while his eyes looked utterly confused on what she said. She chuckled at his expression, which amused her since he bore a similar expression too many people when she told them of her last name, and she tapped her fingernails on the table.

"What?" He questioned in her confusion and she giggled at this, her unease slowly soothing down.

"It's not a regular Japanese last name. My last name is Italian." She explained and he simply stared at her for this before he understood what she meant by it.

"Oh." He simply stated and she could not help but have a small giggle of amusement escaped her lips at the statement.

"I'm not surprised that you had an issue with it. Many people can't understand it so I normally let people call me by my first name to make it easier on them." She explained and looked over to the many patrons of the cafe, trying to make herself situated there, "I hope you can forgive me for not letting you know that I am related to Teppei-san. I know that you and he are not on the right foot and I did not want to make you displeased with myself if you knew that."

"Why would I be annoyed at that?" The question caused Emi to blink at his response before offering a small shrug as her answer, her mind riling at how many different thoughts she had about the whole situation which offered her many different scenarios.

"…I'm not sure but I did not want to really get off with you on the wrong foot." She said then stood up from the table when she noted that a customer had walked over to the register in order to pay their check, "I'll be back in just a second, Murasakibara-san."

She excused herself from the table and he simply thought about her reasons for why she did not tell him about her relationship with Teppei.

_Did she think he would be mad at her? His disagreement with the Iron Heart was with him, to her. It made no sense to him. _

Once she offered the change to the customer with a smile, she walked back to him and she noticed his slightly gazed expression, seemingly having a thought on his mind.

"Are you alright, Murasakibara-san?" She questioned him and his gaze returned to her. He shuffled himself up in his seat as he grabbed the Sakuramochi, taking a bit out of it.

"I'm confused." He said out drowsy and Emi looked at him strangely at the comment as his gaze locked with hers, "Why would I be angry at you?"

She flinched at the word 'angry' but kept her cool and released a breath to keep her nerves cool. He didn't seem to notice her flinch and she fidgeted with her fingers for a second.

"…I've seen you angry at Teppei-san before." She mumbled and he blinked at this before letting out a soft 'ah', "I didn't know how far you were displeased with him and I didn't want to make any transgressions with you to make you angry with him more."

"Eh, that makes sense but I'm not angry at you, Emi-chin." He told her and she looked at him obscurely, "You haven't really done anything to make me mad."

She looked astatic at that this notion and relief dropped onto her shoulders at this before her hands rested easily on her lap.

"So you weren't angry a few days ago?" She asked softly and he narrowed his eyes at the comment, munching at the Sakuramochi.

"Eh, no. As I said, I wasn't angry. I was annoyed." He explained and she gave a nod at the explanation, understanding that he could be annoyed with especially with the way she had first introduced herself as.

"Ok." She replied and patted her outfit down as she stood up again, glancing around the cafe, "I'm sorry that I doubted you, Murasakibara-san."

Her apology had him blink and he stared at her for a second before he simply shrugged as acceptance to it.

"Eh, you're fine." He said and he began to dig money through his pockets, ready to head before her eyes narrowed unhappily at this, "Do I pay you up at the desk?"

She simply stared at him with disappoint and some of the other maids glanced at the scene going on between the two.

"…Yes. That will be fine." She said softly and walked over to the counter, ready for him to pay his bill before a small cellphone ring came from his pockets. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance at the call, knowing that it was from his brother. He pulled it out and flicked it open while placing it to his ear.

"What do you want, _Nii-san_?" Murasakibara hissed and a huff came from the other line before a response was made by his brother.

"Jeez, you don't have to be so defensive, _Otouto! _Anyways, you're gonna have to wait to come home unless you wanna prep food. Hikari will be home in an hour. I'll be staying late at the bar tonight but Fumio should already be there. I'm not sure about Hitoshi but you know him, he'll come back when he wants to." His brother informed him and he scowled at this, realizing that he had nowhere to go if he wanted to wait to Hikari and for her to not get angry at him for not prepping food.

"Fine. I'll wait for an hour." He said and his brother chuckled at his statement.

"Wise decision. I'll see you sometime tonight. Bye, Atsushi." Eiji announced and the youngest sibling simply ended the call without a response to him. Suddenly he noticed the intrigued look on Emi's face now and she waited for him to now do something.

"Is something wrong, Murasakibara-sama?" She asked him politely and he sighed, glancing back to his table which had already been cleaned off and someone else had sat down. He remained silent even though an annoyed expression was across his face and she frowned at it but then noticed that the table had cleaned up and his mention of having to wait an hour.

"You can wait in the waiting area until you need to, Mursakibara-sama. I'll inform the others so they will not bother you." She offered and the annoyance of his siblings eased up once she spoke. He simply stared at her for a second before a smile appeared on his features and nodded.

"If Emi-chin doesn't mind." He replied and she offered back a soft smile, the corners of her cheek turning up.

"Of course. If you need anything, please let me know." She said and he nodded as he sat down in one of the chairs, lazily occupying another seat also. She merely stared at him before her attention was drawn back to a customer who was ready to pay but while she was talking with the customer, Murasakibara observed with curiosity.

_She really was like Teppei Kiyoshi even if he annoyed him to no end but she was far more subtle than the bold and upfront Center of Seirin._

* * *

After forty-five minutes of sitting, bothering Himuro and eating some snacks from his own bag and Emi even offering some small desserts that didn't make the cut to be in the display. He did notice a few things about Emi as she had politely addressed customers and even made some recommendations to them, which some ignored or were intrigued by the option.

_She was quite likable to others when she put herself out there._

She wrote down an order before making her way over to the counter and glanced at Murasakibara while giving him a smile.

"How are you doing, Murasakibara-sama?" She questioned and he shrugged his large shoulders at this while noting the sky seemed to be deeming down to a dark gray.

"Good. How much time has past?" He asked in return and she blinked while looking over to the clock hovering up behind her noting the time that has past and she looked back to him.

"Just over forty-five minutes have passed. Do you plan on heading out?" She replied and he snapped his phone closer while slowly standing up,

"Eh, Nēsan should be home in a few minutes so I can head out." He said and she frowned at this, knowing that she would be leaving in fifteen minutes to head back home herself. She glanced away and bit her lip at this, hoping that she could have someone walk with her back to the apartment since it would she would be alone for the night.

Then she realized from his words that he had mentioned a sister.

"Eh, you have a sister also, Murasakibara-san?" She said and he stopped moving once she mentioned his sister. He gave her a nod and she looked at him with intrigue at the fact that he another sibling. He noticed the look she was giving and he sighed at this, realizing that she wanted to know more.

"Hai, I have an older sister and three older brothers." He said and her eyes lit up at this knowledge, her hands clapping together in admiration.

"You have so many siblings! They must really care for you!" She exclaimed and he froze at her words, not expecting those at all as he rubbed the back of his neck at this.

"…I guess." He mumbled and she nodded along, thinking of her own little brother.

"I wouldn't have guessed that you were the youngest in your family, Murasakibara-sama." She stated and then looked away in embarrassment, "Ah, I didn't mean to make any assumptions."

"You're fine, Emi-chin." He said and then noticed that the time was now inching closer to the hour mark, "When are you done?"

She looked at him strangely before answering back, "In a few minutes. Is there a reason?"

He noticed that her expression had eased up at the suggestion and he shrugged, knowing that he had no need to rush back.

"Well, I can ask to leave a few minutes early so you won't be held back or meaning to be late for dinner." She suggested and he stared at her blankly and did not even say anything as she wuss already moving to one of the Maids. She talked to one of the Maids who glanced between the two and gave her a reassuring smile, nodding along. Emi looked back over to him and gave a quick nod to the back before she darted to the back.

"Did you enjoy your time here, Master?"

The child-like voice caused his attention to look down at the floor where one of the Maids had to angle her head up at him. She stood just below a meter and a half with long turquoise hair slightly curled off in waves while a blush was present on her cheeks, which made her appear very young compared to the rest of the maids. She barely filled out the uniform and it did have some more puffs on the cuffs and shoulders than the others.

"Eh, yes." He answered and the young maid smiled at this.

"Wonderful! I hope you visit again, Master." She said as Emi exited the back room in the school uniform. Emi blinked at the sight of the Maid and she smiled at her.

"I hope you don't mind me leaving a few minutes early, Manager-kun." Emi said and Murasakibara blinked at the realization that the apparent manager was the extremely short girl in front of him.

"Don't worry about it, Emi-kun. You have done over time for so many other shifts that it is fine for you to leave early." The short Maid said and waved her hand innocently at this while a glint appeared in her eye as her gaze looked back towards Murasakibara, "Especially when you were invited by such a dashing young man too."

Murasakibara merely blinked at the comment while Emi's face did flush a little, her gaze avoiding her manager's while she avoided eye vontact.

"Go on and head out. We'll see you a few days, Emi-kun! Have a good night to both of you!" The Manager said and waved them off as she turned away to attend to the customers. Murasakibara turned away to the door while Emi offered a wave herself to the remaining patrons, where some shouted out their goodbyes as they made their out the place. She looked back to Murasakibara and caught up to him by jogging a little, walking side by side with him.

"Thank you for walking with me tonight, Murasakibara-san." She said in a soft tone and he shrugged at this, pulling out a bag of chips to munch on as they continued on their way.

"Eh, I don't mind." He stated and she offered a small smile at this, a slight skip in her step now. The awkward silence filled them as they made their way back to the apartment complex. Small notification alarm came from his phone every few minutes, which he made no effort to glance at since he guessed it was simply his sister wondering where he was. Emi made no hidden attempt at looking at where the sound came from and her lips were pressed together, as she wanted to make a comment but remained silent until she bites her lip.

"Are those messages important?" She questioned and he narrowed his eyes at this question, glancing down at her in both interest and slight annoyance.

"They're nothing." He told her and she gulped at this before her gaze went down to her feet, making her instantly regret her decision to mention it but once she had looked away from him, he pulled his phone out and flipped it open He briefly went over the messages as her slight paranoia had gotten to him and he noticed that none of them had been anything of much importance but he typed out that he was on his way back.

"I hope you enjoyed your time at the cafe, Murasakibara-san." She said to break the silence and he nodded agreement at this,

"Eh, it was good especially the desserts," He told her and she picked up her a pace a little more, "I'll probably stop there again."

She glowed at that and she nodded in agreement, saying back, "Wonderful, I'm glad you enjoyed it. We prepare the desserts the night before or the morning of presenting them. I help prepare some of the more diverse desserts."

At the mention of desserts, his attention grew back towards her. His gaze locked down to her and she looked at him questionably.

"You made some of the desserts?" He asked her and she replied with a nod and his eyes seemed to glow at it whole a lazy smile appeared on his features.

"Hai! That's one of the reasons I work there since the customers enjoy my desserts." She answered and brushed some strands of her hair back, eyes glancing down to the road as she thought of her favorite patron working at the Maid Cafe.

"What else do you make there?" He continued to ask with curiosity and slight interest and she looked back to up him while tapping her chin as she thought about the plentiful amount of desserts she has done for the cafe.

"There are so many different desserts that it would hard to list all of them." She explained and he nodded at this, an expression of being impressed was etched on his face.

"Eh, that's impressive, Emi-chin." He expressed and she blushed at the comment. Not expecting such a reaction from him about it. They made another turn in the direction of the apartment complex and some people stared at Murasakibara as they passed by. They continued to walk now in silence beside the sounds of their footsteps and him munching on the bags of chips.

Eventually, they had made it back to the complex, with the sun now set and the lights of complex illuminating the place. Emi brushed back some of her hair and looked to see the giant approaching his doorway.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Murasakibara-san." She said as she approached the stairs and he gave a simple nod at this before the door to his place opened up with one person carrying a bag of trash. The person had a similar shade of purple hair to the giant but they had more in the tint of wisteria colored within it, styled by having it closely shaved on the right side but the other was still long, and dark purple eyes looked at him in confusion. They stood just below his height and bore low waisted pants and a baggy band shirt. One more noticeable thing about this person was a scar from the top of their lip that traveled down to the left side of his neck.

"Ah, perfect." The person said and then promptly handed him the bag of trash, "Go carry this to the trash."

The giant glared at the person but the person had already shoved the trash into his hands without a second thought.

"Oi, Niisan." He hissed and Emi still looked at the interaction between the two until the other noticed her look.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" The other called and Murasakibara looked back at her then back to him.

"Leave Emi-chin alone, Hitoshi-nii." He stated and the now identified older sibling's eyes looked back to him.

"You know her? I'm shocked that you're actually friends with a girl, Atsushi." The sibling, Hitoshi, called out as a mock and Emi frowned at this, his tone bothering her now. She decided to go back down the staircase and offered him a smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too." She stated and he looked down at her with narrowed eyes, clearly confused at what she was trying to do, "I am Emi De Campo, Murasakibara-san's friend."

"Oi, Hitoshi, what's taking you so long?!"

Another sibling Emi guessed appeared at the doorway in a classic business suit with northwestern colored hair combed back with serious dark blue eyes. He had too slouched down to avoid hitting himself on the doorway while a cigarette between his lips. He looked much like the other two siblings before her and now that he was closer, she could see small strands of purple whiskers on his face along with bags under his eyes.

He simply stared at her then glanced over to the giant, before he offered a hand to her.

"Nice to meet you." He said and she simply stared at his hand before she reached over and shook it. Surprisingly it was warm plus he seemed to be barely gripping her hand as if he was trying not to crush her hand.

"My idiot brothers have mentioned you. Nice to put a face to a name. The name's Fumio," He said then addressed the other brother by tugging his shirt, "This idiot is Hitoshi. Ignore his rude remarks."

She smiled at this while her attention returned to the two brothers that stood outside the door, "It's nice to meet you all of you."

The Murasakibara brother identified as Hitoshi looked annoyed at her politeness before he brushed his hair back.

"You too, girl." He said then more rustling came towards the door and a ladle in hand as another person appeared. This time it was a woman, probably in her early twenties with long purpureus hair tied back in two braids. She stood just below the height of the doorframe and her eyes were mainly violet contained hints of blue in them. She wore a black 'X Japan' t-shirt and gym shorts.

"What's all the noise out there?" The girl asked and her attention looked to Emi while she offered a bright smile to her, "Oh, hello! You must be Emi-chan! I've heard much about you!"

Emi blinked at her opinion at this, a little shocked how the two brothers she met talked about her. A small blush of appreciation crossed over her cheeks and she glanced down at the ground.

"Thank you. It's so nice to meet all of Murasakibara-san's family." She said in sincerity and the girl's eyes practically glowed she looked to the giant of the family.

"Atsushi, you didn't tell how nice she was!" The girl exclaimed and she shoved the older looking brother aside, "I am Hikari. It's great to meet you. Thank you for taking care of Atsushi!"

Emi's blush now exploded over her face at the compliment and she shook her head, trying to think of the right words she wanted to say.

"He's not any problem! He has been really considerate to me especially walking back with me today." She spoke softly but enough for them to hear her. Hikari nodded before she gestured to Atsushi and pointed to the trash can that was a few meters away.

"Please put the trash away, Atsushi. We shouldn't be talking to a guest with trash in front of her that's rude!" The sister said and he looked ready to argue with her before stomping over and putting it in the bin, "Now Hitoshi you go set the table since dinner is ready."

The brother groaned in annoyance at this, similar to the familiar giant of Yosen, who shoved past his older brother as he walked in. Hikari offered a smile to her and rubbed the back of her, apologizing for his actions.

"Sorry about Hitoshi. He's normally better than this but today has not been his day so please excuse his attitude." Hikari said and Emi blinked at this, not really offended by him.

"It's fine! Bad days happen to all of us." Emi said then shuffled her feet a little, glancing up the stairway, "I hope you don't mind me going off. I need to prepare for dinner. It has bee wonderful to meet you all."

"That's fine! It has been great to meet you, Ei-chan! I hope to see you around soon!" Hikari said as she stepped back into the apartment as Fumio offered a slight nod and wave as he turned back in.

"Ah, sorry about them, Emi-chin."

The voice of the Murasakibara sibling he knew better spoke and she shook her head in disagreement, eyes gleaming now.

"No, it's nice to see that you have people that care about you, Murasakibara-san. I'm glad that I got to meet them. They're different from what I imagined form the way you briefly talked about them but they were still similar in a way." She told him and he remained stoic about the topic before shrugging, making his way back inside.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, MUrasakiabara-san. Enjoy dinner with your family." She said and he frowned at the way she sounded like she was sad or disappointed.

"You too, Emi-chin." He replied back without any knowledge but then he began to thought about offering her to join but she was gone by the time it crossed his mind.

_Perhaps another time then._


	5. Bandages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emi helps Murasakibara with a small injury and he returns to favor. Plus a surprise appearance is made!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the 2-month wait! Here is an extra-long chapter to enjoy for being so late!

**Chapter 5: Bandages**

* * *

When Emi walked into class the next day, she noted that Murasakibara had some bandage loosely wrapped around his forehead. She blinked at it before moving back to her desk and placed her bag beside her desk, observing the giant in confusion since he did not have injuries yesterday when she left. She walked over to him and her eyes frowned in concern while he snacked down on a couple of Pocky sticks.

“Are you alright, Murasakibara-san?” Emi asked him and his gaze traveled up to her, noting her concerned look but he retained his bored stature.

“Eh, I’m fine, Emi-chin.” He told her and she bite her lip at this, clearly worried about what caused his injury. She clutched his fingers tight into her hand and she could imagine something terrible had happened to him once she had left. Her thoughts were twirling around in her head like a spider’s web and were starting to pull at different theories as to how the injury occurred.

“I accidentally walked into a stop sign.”

She blinked at his sudden input and she looked to see him staring at her now. She realized she must have looked concerned and he had responded because he noticed that.

“Are you sure it is alright though?” She continued to pester and he shrugged, truly not caring about the bandages wrapped around his head.

“Miro-chin wrapped it up when he noticed that it was bleeding.” He explained and she moved closer to him, standing in front of his desk as she observed the bandages. His eyes narrowed as she continued to look at it and she locked gazes with him.

“Murasakibara-san, could I try to wrap it up better for you?” She suggested and he blinked at this before shrugging, snatching the last Pocky stick from the box he had.

“Sure, Emi-chin.” He answered and suddenly she leaned forward, her body extremely close to his as her hands moved to the gauze. She bit at her lip gently as she slowly grabbed the end of it and undid it so it fell to the giant’s shoulders.

“Ah, sorry.” She mumbled and he just watched her as she stared at the small ident and small spot of dried blood on it. She moved closer by decided to go to his side and wrap it from there, merely a few centimeters from each other now. She slowly but also tightly wrapped the long strands of bandages against his small injury and her heartbeat seemed to slow down at the fact that she was helping. Time seemed to slow down and Murasakibara could not help but notice how careful and patient she was, even he had stopped eating to watch her. A small smile had blossomed over her features and she tied the knot of the bandages together, backing away a little to observe her work.

“That looks better.” She said and he blinked, stopping out his focus on her while raising a hand up to it and noted how much better it seemed to be tied.

“Thank you, Emi-chin.” He spoke and she clasped her hands together, glad to have helped him out.

“I’m glad that it’ll help seal your wound better.” She said and glanced over to the clock, noting that class would be starting soon but the door to the classroom opened up, revealing to be Himuro. He looked over in their direction and offered a smile to Emi as he entered the classroom, a few girls swooning at his appearance.

“Ah, good morning, Emi-san.” He said and she nodded at this.

“Good morning to you too, Himuro-san.” Emi replied back and Himuro glanced down to the giant, seeing the bandages more properly wrapped up.

“It seems like the bandages are properly tied together.” He casual mentioned and Emi brushed some strands of her hair behind her ear at the small compliment, “Although, will you be alright to practice today?”

The concern in Emi grew at this and she had forgotten that he had basketball practice in the afternoon.

“Do I have to go? It seems to much trouble.” Atsushi mentioned to him and Himuro sighed while Emi looked at Atsushi with slight disappointment.

“You should still support your teammates, Murasakibara-san.” She said and Murasakibara glanced up to her before a small idea formed, her eyes lighting up, “Would it be alright if I just sit with you or something then so you wouldn’t be bored?”

Himuro looked at her strangely at her suggestion before a smirk formed on his lips, nearly glad of her idea.

“I can talk with coach and see if we would be ok with this. Would Emi-san’s appearance make you come to practice?” Himuro suggested and Murasakibara stared at her as she looked at him with the hope that he would go. His thoughts swirled a little as he stared at her chocolate eyes and slightly rosy cheeks before nodding and Emi’s eyes grew a little wide at his reaction, clapping her hands together.

“Good to hear. I’ll inform coach about your current situation.” Himuro said and glanced up at the clock, noting it was close to the bell to ring, “I will see you during lunch. Take care, Emo-san.”

Himuro then walked away and Emi fidgeted with her hands while pulling on the shelves on her jacket.

“Murasakibara-san, thank you for walking me home last night. I really appreciate it.” She blurted and he looked at her slightly strangely.

“Sa-chin and Nēsan told me I should walk a girl home if she’s by herself.” He explained and Emi blinked at this, confused as to who Sa-chin is but the bell had already rung so she could not get her answer. She pressed her lips together and offered only a nod, heading back to her own desk and sat down to think of who could be the Sa-chin he mentioned.

* * *

Emi’s attention during the class was barely there as she could not help but be curious and started drawing down the names of people she knew that might be the person. She pouted a little at this until she looked up and saw the teacher was waiting for a response by anyone to give the answer. She stared at the English saying before raising her hand up and the teacher pointed out to her, asking her to properly pronounce the saying.

She stood up and replied, “_Please excuse my accent. I do not speak good English. I come from Japan and English is my second language._”

Many students now looked at her with integument at how well she pronounced the sayings and Murasakibara glanced up at her, noting how impressed the teacher was.

“Excellent, Kiyoshi. You may sit back down.” The teacher stated and Emi nodded at this as she sat back down, not pleased with hearing her previous last name than what she was now known for but she could deal with it.She licked her lips as she tapped her pencil against her notebook and looked out the window for a mere moment, her thoughts wandering around. She couldn’t help but slightly frown at the sight of the cherry blossoms in full bloom, meaning that summer was closer than she had thought.

_Which meant she would have to adapt to a warmer environment._

* * *

When the bell rang for lunch, Emi pulled her phone out to see if her brother had texted her and she smiled at the sight of a notification. She saw her brother’s name highlighted and read the message with delight, glad to hear that he seemed to be doing well.

_Good afternoon, Nēsan! I wanted to let you know how my day has been. My English exam went well but I did struggle a little in Physics but its nothing worrisome. I plan on going to practice today and seeing if Aida-san will let me become a substitute for Mitobe-san. I hope your day has been going well! :)_

She began to type her response out before the voice of Himuro caught her attention, “Ah, Emi- san, would you like to join us for lunch?”

She looked over her shoulder and stared at both the giant and his friend who hovered over her. She blinked and nodded while she snapped her phone shut while digging out the small paper bag that contained her food. She stood up and Himuro smiled at this as they headed out the door, earning a few looks as to why she was going with them.

“Where do you plan on going?” She questioned and could really only focus on responding to her brother so he wouldn’t worry.

“Does the rooftop sounds good to you, Emi-san?” Himuro suggested and she nodded while more people were beginning to stare at her. She gulped and tried not to imagine the plentiful gazes on her back. Her fingers twitched in both anticipation and worry as they passed by more people and eventually made their way to a stairwell. The two basketball players ascended the stairs and she could feel the nag of worry drilling into her head but she had _trusted _Murasakibara with walking her home the night prior.

Himuro stopped once they were at the door and pushed it open, causing a shimmer of light to escape into the stairway and a gust of wind blew around them. She stared at the open and closed off baloney, where there were only steel bars separating from the edge of the building.

“Is there anywhere you want to sit?” Himuro asked and Emi glanced across the area, noting no real specific spot was catching her eye. She shrugged and looked back to Murasakibara who had simply sat down against the wall to the entrance of the building. Himuro chooses to do the same but had sat down on Murasakibara’s right side. She glanced between the two before she had walked over to sit on the opposite side of Murasakibara, who casually munched on food. Emi placed her bagged lunch down before pulling her phone back out and began to type to her brother.

“Who are you texting, Emi-chin?” Murasakibara asked her and she looked back up at him, smiling at him.

“My_ fratellino!”_ She answered and he blinked at this, confusion written over his face at what she had said. A thought appeared in his head and made a connection that she had probably spoken Italian but he had no real clue as to what she had said. She stared at his strange look along with Himuro’s curious one before a little blush crossed against her cheeks, realization her small mistake of falling into Italian once talking about her brother.

“Ah, my little brother. Sorry.” She mumbled and looked down at her phone, embarrassment crossed over her features at this.

“Eh, it’s fine.” The simple acceptance caused her heart to skip a beat and her smile pulled over her cheeks, as she continued to type out her message to her brother.

“You speak another language, Emi-san?” Himuro questioned and she nodded, before hitting send to the message and looked back over to Himuro.

“Yes. I can speak Italian fluently.” She answered and brushed some strands of her hair back, “What about yourself, Himuro-San?”

He offered a polite nod and responded, “I lived in America for most of my life before I arrived back here not too long ago, so my English is fluent.”

Emi nodded and opened up her bag and pulled out an aluminum foil wrapped Italian Meatball sub. The two young men stared at it, clearly not used to someone without a bento box. She unwrapped it and took a bite out of it, the sauce daring to drip down on her outfit but it refused to. Murasakibara’s nose twitched at the different smells coming from it and could tell that it definitely had some spicy flavor to it. Emi continued to take bites out of it and silence surrounded the three before she finished her sandwich and placed the aluminum foil back in the bag.

“Do you have anything else to eat, Emi-san?” Himuro asked and she flinched at the comment before scratching her cheek.

“Eh, well, no.” She said and earned a look from Murasakibara, “I’m fine though.”

Murasakibara frowned at this as he continued to eat form his own prepared bento box. Himuro seemed displeased at this but made no attempt to offer anything to her. Murasakibara looked at the singular piece of an Apple Rabbit and then without much thinking, he held the box out to her.

“You can have my Apple Rabbit, Emi-chin.” He offered and she blinked at this, staring at it while looking unsure if she should grab it while Himuro looked at him in absolute shock that he would even offer up any food to anyone.

“Are you sure, Murasakibara-san? I don’t want to take it if you were planning on eating it.” She said in a soft whisper and he waited for her to move.

“It’s fine. I don’t like it anyways.” He said and she smiled at this before reaching over and grabbing it. She looked at him with happiness and thanked him while she held the fruit in her hand. She stared at it for a second before she began to nibble on it, a small blush flashed across her face.

“Thank you, Murasakibara-san. I really appreciate it.” She mumbled and he nodded while Himuro looked at him like he was a stranger, He narrowed his eyes at this and looked annoyed at his expression before he decided to just continue to eat the remaining part of lunch.

“Well, I have to get going.” Himuro said as he stood up and the two second years stared at him, “I am going to inform coach about your condition today and I will let you know what her response her. Enjoy the rest of the lunch break, you two.”

“Goodbye, Himuro-san.” Emi said politely and Murasakibara simply waved him off as he was chewing. The third-year left the two to each other once the door was closed behind him and Emi licked her teeth once she had finished the Rabbit Apple.

“Has your injury caused you any other pain, Mursakaibara-san?” Emi gently asked and he shook his head no as he swallowed the rest of his rice.

“No, I’m fine.” He said and she nodded at this, glad to hear he wasn’t in any pain. Emi bit her lip before she choose to ask him about who this _Sa-chin_ person was.

“Mursakibara-san,” She began and his attention returned to her, “I was just curious. You mentioned someone called Sa-chin earlier and I wanted to know who that was?”

He blinked at this before a simple grin crossed over his features.

“Ah, Sa-chin was my old basketball manager and friend.” He replied and she blinked at this before she remembered from a brief memory who this person was.

“Oh, I remember seeing her.” She stated briefly and he blinked at this, slightly confused as to how she would know of her, “She’s part of Tōō’s team now. I remember seeing her on the sidelines during Seirin’s match against Tōō.”

“You were there?” He asked and she nodded as she finished the Apple Rabbit, brushing back some of her hair.

“Yes. Ken-chan wanted to see the game since Teppei-san was going to play in it.” She replied and he continued chewing on his food before another thought in his mind dropped up.

“Did you see the game I played in?” He questioned and she froze up before nodding slyly, her gaze not connecting with his own.

“Yes.” She answered honestly before she licked her lips then slowly stood up, her legs slightly shaking like she had wanted to avoid the question, “I believe class is starting soon again, Murasakibara-san. I am going to head back.”

He blinked at this before nodding and she scratched her wrists, her paper bag in hand before she walked off.

Murasakibara simply stared at the empty space now next to him and frowned, displeased with the slightly unhappy feeling he had for driving her away.

_Perhaps he felt guilty?_

He sealed up his now empty bento box and stood up, looking at the door before he had opened it and started to descend down the staircase, with that small thought nagging in his mind. His thoughts swirled around the fact that Emi had left clearly startled and he stopped once a singular thought emerged in his mind.

_Maybe Kise-chin could help him since he was better with girl stuff._

He started typing up a message to the blond small forward and the bell rang out, echoing the halls that he should go back to his classroom. He continued pressing the buttons and reread it again.

_Hi Kise-chin, I was wondering what I should do if I make a girl unhappy?_

He was pleased with the message and hit sent, not even thinking about what could be possibly be transcribed form the message.

* * *

Elsewhere at a different school, a certain blond small forward choked on some water at the text he had just received from the giant of Yosen. Many people in his class looked at him with concern, mainly the girls while the boys looked at him in confusion. His blond hair was brushed away from his golden eyes while he bore the standard gray suit and brown tie which hung loosely around his neck.

He brought his phone closer to his face to make sure he had read the message but it was the same as the first time he saw it.

“Murasakibaracchi needs girl help?!” He exclaimed and more students looked at him strangely but before he could even type out a response, his phone was pulled from his face by a smaller more feminine hand. He leaned back and looked to see a girl with short green hair in a small braid with light green eyes that were hidden behind glasses that looked down at him with intrigue. She had a long knit green scarf wrapped around her neck which showed no bare skin and bore the familiar female Kaijō outfit, which only differed on pants being a skirt instead and knee-length socks. She did not fill out the outfit very well but he normally ignored it while In her hand, strangely enough, was a whiteboard and marker.

The girl looked back down at him before she walked over to the side of him, pulling out a chair from an empty desk next to him.

She pulled the marker from the whiteboard and started writing down her thoughts before showing it to Kise.

**‘Are you talking about Murasakibara Atsushi from the Yosen team correct? What’s the big deal with him asking a question about a girl?’**

He gapped at her before he lunger to grab the phone but she pulled it behind her, causing him to nearly fall out of it.

“Please Midorima-chan! Murasakibaracchi doesn’t know anything about girls and he wants advice _from me_!” He exclaimed and she scowled as he continued to reach up and grab the phone from her, “This is important.”

Her expression turned annoyed before she returned her hand to the table, stilling for a second before she shoved it to him. He looked at her with stars in his eyes and thanked her before he opened the message back up again and typed up his response.

_‘Hi, Murasakibaracchi! You can always apologize to her and perhaps offer her something that might make her feel better! :D’_

He smiled at the message and sent it off to his friend and the girl now known as Midorima, raised an eyebrow at this.

“I’m so glad he asked for my help!” He said and she rolled her eyes before he phone buzzed again, immediately picking it up and his eyes glistened at this, “Ah, he’s listening to my advice!”

He looked ready to twirl and sing in joy as he typed up another message to him.

‘_No problem, Murasakibaracchi! I can’t wait to hear more about this girl you are talking about.’_

He sends it off and the girl snagged his phone before her eyebrows raised at this.

“I can’t believe he asked me about a girl! I thought he would never be interested in a girl before.” He called out and he looked back to the girl, now known as Midorima, who had crossed her legs over, ready to leave to go elsewhere. His happy gaze turned slightly disappointed and he leaned over to her.

“Eh, are you heading out, Midorima-chan?” He asked and she rolled her eyes while standing up,quickly writing up a response on the whiteboard. She capped the marker and turned it to him.

**‘Yes. The bell is about to ring, idiot. I have to head back to class. But I have a plan now to figure out.’**

He stared at the last sentence and released a sigh, knowing she had already something planned in her mind that would probably involve Murasakibara and the Yosen team.

“Ok. I’ll see you at practice, Midorima-chan.” He said and she smirked at this before making her way out to her classroom. His attention back towards to his phone when he felt it buzz again, alarming him of a text.

_‘Thanks, Kiss-chin. I guess I owe you so let it be something easy to pay you back.’_

The text from Murasakibara hardly alarmed him and he blinked at the message, now his attention turning back to the door where the green-haired girl had left.

_She was way too perceptive for herself that had already planned out the favor that Mursakibaracchi was going to offer up._

He left the message on read and a slightly amused smirk appeared on his lips at this, while the bell then rang to send the notice that class was going to begin again.

* * *

At the end of the day, Emi and Murasakibara walked down to the gym together and she did remain quiet, her gaze clearly not interacting with his own. He frowned at this and thought of Kise’s advice and hoped it would work.

“Emi-chin,” He began and she looked up at him, chocolate eyes staring at him with intrigue, “I’m sorry if I said something that you didn’t like.”

She blinked at this and she waved her hands at the comment, replying back, “It’s ok, Murasakibara-san! It wasn’t your fault so please don’t worry about it. If we could just move past that, I will be fine.”

He pouted a little at it and rubbed at his head, saying back, “Eh, but I feel bad for making you unhappy.”

“Please don’t worry about it. You are fine.” She said again and he pulled out a bag of chips, opening it up and started to nibble at it. They remained quiet for some more time before he looked back at her, an idea again forming in his head.

“Emi-chin, could I make it up to you?” He suggested and she stopped completely at this, shocked at his suggestion.

_But she was genuinely happy that he had offered to make it up to her._

She placed her hand on her chin before she had a small hopefully acceptable response to his suggestion. She looked back up to him and nodded.

“Yes. I have a suggestion. You don’t have to agree to it If you don’t want to play it.” She said and he smiled a little, glad that Kise’s advice at worked, “Would you mind just playing a quick game like H-O-R-S-E?”

He blinked at the seemingly innocent request before narrowing his eyes while replying back, Eh, what’s that?”

She stared at him before she giggled a little, remembering that H-O-R-S-E was quite a popular game in America that wasn’t well known in Japan since it was spelled with singular letters instead of kanji.

“Ah, sorry, I forgot that it isn’t a very popular game in Japan. I promise it isn’t very hard.” She said and they approached close to doors of the gym, “It’s simply a copying game. One person does a certain move and shoots it in the hoop and the other person has to copy it exactly right or they get the penalty which is the letter ‘H’. Eventually, the person with five penalty points will form the word Horse in English and that will end the game. If you’re not ok with the game, that’s fine.”

He shrugged and nodded at the suggestion.

“That’s fine with Emi-chin. I’ll make sure we can use the court to do the game.” He said and she smiled at this, glowing at the fact he was ok with the idea.

“Great!” She exclaimed and he stopped at the door to open it and cut down. She stopped and he gestured with his head to go first and she smiled at this before hustling in. Her eyes growing large at the sight of so many players practicing about the gym.

_But all of their attention turned to them once she had entered._

“IT’S A GIRL!”

She jumped at the loud voice and most of the players began to approach her, her heart racing in nervousness at how close they getting. They all had their own individual looks that kept them from being so general.

“Oi, get back to practice!” The voice a female shouted and all the players flinched then made their way back to the court, her anxiety dulling back down. She turned her head to who had called out and saw the well-dressed women in a black suit with a long white polo shirt approached her. Her long black hair flowed down to her hips and gray eyes stared at her, with slight interest.

“So you’re the girl that Himuro talked about.” She said absent mindlessly and Emi then noticed the shinai balanced on her shoulder, “I am Masako Araki, the coach of the team.”

Emi offered a smile at this but everything seemed to be coming at her strongly before replying back, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sensei. I am Emi De Campo, a second-year in Murasakibara’s class.”

The coach made no comment about her last name before nodding and replied, “Nice to meet you. Thanks for bringing him in. It’s such a pain to try and get him in here.”

“No problem. I don’t mind.” She said then the shadow of Murasakibara loomed next to her and he stared at his coach who looked ready to hit him with the shinai.

“Coach, we need to borrow a hoop.” He demanded and shock plastered over his coach’s face at this. She blinked to recover from her reaction and she scowled before rubbed her head then gestured down at one end of the court that had some players simply practicing passes.

“Use the one down there but a practice game will go on in a little bit so get off the court once it starts.” She said and Mei smiled at this while bowing slightly at her graciousness.

“Thank you, sensei.” Emi said and the coach nodded before looking down at Emi’s skirt.

“If you’re planning on playing, do you want to change into some shorts?”

Emi nodded at this, having forgotten she was wearing the skirt and the coach pointed to girl’s changing room down near the end of the court.

“You can change in there. It’s unlocked.” She said and Emi nodded at this before she looked over to Murasakibara.

“I’ll be done shortly, Murasakibara-san so you can go wait at the court and I’ll meet you there.” She said and he nodded, ready to head down himself before his coach glared at him and pointed to his own clothes.

“Get changed too.” She hissed and he narrowed his eyes in annoyance at this before heading in the direction of the court, where the boys changing room happened to be. He stomped over there like a child before making his way in and dropping his bag on the floor, finishing up his snack first before trudging off his cardigan and button-up shirt to be replaced with a simple graphic t-shirt. He shoved his pants off and slowly pulled out a pair of gym shorts, pulling them up so he was ready to go. He made no effort in keeping his clothes neat by simply tossing them in the bag and exited the changing room, yawning as he exited.

Then he noticed Emi was walking over to the court with a smile on her lips, her outfit completely changed to a white shirt hidden under a purple shelved sweatshirt zipped up and short black gym shorts that were a little tight but not terribly.

Many players choose to look at her and he was annoyed at the way they seemed to stare at her. She gently placed her bag down under the bench and looked up to him, eyes glistening up at him.

“Are you ready to play, Murasakibara-san?” She asked and he nodded, snagging a ball from one the baskets nearby and walking onto the court. The few players that were nearby passing all turned their attention to them before one player with ash brown hair closely shaved to his head with a sharp face and hazel eyes shined at the sight of her, while he also stood just about little bit taller than herself.

“Ah, Emi-san! What are you doing here?” The player asked and she looked over to him before a smile crossed over her cheeks.

“Hello, Keiji-kun. I’m here to play with Murasakibara-san since he can’t play in a practice game today. Are you keeping up with your studies?” She said and he nodded quickly, a smile on his own face blossoming.

“Yeah! Thank you so much for tutoring me!” He said and Murasakibara looked at him with a slight hint of envy at how relaxed she seemed to be talking with him.

“Of course, if you need any more help, don’t hesitate to call me, Keiji-kun.” Emi spoke and he nodded before getting back with his group, causing small discussions to erupt. She turned back to Murasakibara and held out her hands, smiling up at him with a small tilt of her head.

“Would you be alright if I start, Murasakibara-san?” She suggested and he nodded before giving her some room. She stood fairly close to the hoop before she bounced the ball a couple of times then did a simple throw, easily getting it in but her arms had already felt like jelly. Murasakibara lazily walked over to the hoop and grabbed the ball and then made it over to her spot, where he simply stood behind her. His body looked over hers and she bent her head back a little to observe him easily making the shot. She went over picked the ball up from the hoop and decided to walk over near the edge of the court, stopping once she was about two meters away. She bit her lip as she then turned to the side, bouncing the ball again then jumping up and releasing it.

Unfortunately, the ball bounced off the rim and landed near the giant, Emi winced at this and said, “Now, Murasakibara-san, I got a penalty because I couldn’t complete my shoot. So it’s your turn to do your own shot and I’ll have to copy you.”

He stared at her slightly disappointed expression before he nodded and then choose to step back a little more and simply tossed the ball up with one hand, it easily making its way through.

“Now its Emi-chin’s turn right?” He said and Emi stared at him with wide eyes which seemed to glisten in amusement before she nodded and picked the ball up. She walked over to his spot and glanced briefly at her arms, hoping she would be able to make it. He stepped away and stared at her as she adjusted her stance. She bites her lip before she balanced the ball with one hand and she tossed it up, which unfortunately landed almost admittedly after she tried to shot it.

“Ah.” She escaped and tried to remain positive, “I guess I’m not as good as I was.”

Murasakibara sipped the ball off the ground and stared down at her as she chews on the bottom of her lip.

“Do you want to stop Emi-chin?” He asked and she frowned before releasing a sad sigh, knowing the game would probably turn worse.

“Yes, but would you mind doing me a favor, Murasakibara-san?” She asked again and he tilted his head to the side before shrugging.

“Sure, Emi-chin.” He responded and she tugged on the bottom of her sweat-shirt.

“Would you mind performing a dunk?: She asked innocently and some of the players looked at her crazy for even suggesting he do it. He sighed before scratching the back of his head and stepped back a little.

“Sure.” He mumbled and her eyes grew wide in happiness.

“Thank you, Murasakibara-san.” She said and now all the players were staring at them. He pushed his hair back out and released a sigh before he charged at the hoop, swinging his body around, the air pressure seemingly changing as he lifted the ball up and smashed it in.

All the players at him in awe as he released his grip the ball and slammed down on the ground. The ball emitted a loud noise as it bounced off the ground and he turned back to Emi who looked at him in awe.

“Wow.” She exclaimed and clapped her hands together, “No wonder Teppei-san had trouble playing against you.”

At the mention of her cousin, Murasakibara’s eyebrows pinching together in mostly annoyance and also slight intrigue.

“What do you mean?”

She blinked at the question and opened her mouth to respond before his coach made an appearance by stomping over to him.

“Oi! What the hell are you doing, Murasakibara?” She hissed and his serious expression dulled down to more like an annoyance.

“I only did a dunk.” He mumbled and the coach rubbed their face, looking ready to tear out some of her hair.

“Himuro told me that you shouldn’t be pushing yourself since you were injured.” She said and he shrugged, pulling at the bandages wrapped around his head to show the simple bruise on his head. She tightened her grip on the shinai in her hand and Emi gulped, terror slowly raising up before the coach rubbed her face.

“Fine. I’ll let it slide but its time for the practice game to start so go get off the court.” She said and looked over to Emi, “You too.”

Emi nodded as she walked over to the bench while the coach stopped Murasakibara from going to with her shinai blocking his path.

“You’ll play in the next practice game.” She said and he looked at her with displeasure before she lifted the shinai up so he could go sit down. He saw Emi’s face turn to a frown when she looked down at her phone and she glanced back up at him, her smile turned bitter.

“I’m sorry, Murasakibara-san for getting you in trouble.” She said and he shrugged not really annoyed at her.

“Eh, you’re fine. Muro-chin is in more trouble for lying to coach.” He said and slouched down.

“If you’re sure about that,” She mumbled as players gathered around in the court and she crossed her legs together while her eyes looked at the players now with a smile, “But if you’re forgiven that is alright.”

Murasakibara stared at her for the comment before shrugging off the slightly uneasy feeling to watch the practice game between the players.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and enjoyed the surprise appearance of Kise mysterious green-haired girl too! I did enjoy writing this chapter and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! Thanks again for all the support!


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